Douglas Nicholson

Sir Douglas Nicholson
Born 4 March 1867
Died 8 February 1946 (aged 78)
Allegiance United Kingdom United Kingdom
Service/branch Royal Navy
Rank Admiral
Commands held HMS Hyacinth
HMS Hermes
HMS St Vincent
HMS Conqueror
His Majesty's Yachts
HMS Agincourt
3rd Battle Squadron
Reserve Fleet
Battles/wars Anglo-Egyptian War
World War I
Awards Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath
Member of the Royal Victorian Order

Admiral Sir Douglas Romilly Lothian Nicholson, KCB, MVO (4 March 1867 – 8 February 1946) was a senior Royal Navy officer who commanded the Reserve Fleet.

Naval career

Nicholson served in the Anglo-Egyptian War of 1882.[1] He was appointed in command of the destroyer HMS Dove on 24 February 1902,[2] serving in the Channel Fleet as part of the Portsmouth instructional flotilla. In May 1902, the ship hit a rock off Kildorney, and had to be towed by her sister ship HMS Bullfinch to Queenstown,[3] and later back to Portsmouth for repairs.[4] Douglas and the crew transferred to the recently completed torpedo boat destroyer HMS Success, which was commissioned at Portsmouth on 9 June.[5] The following day, the navy held a Court-martial where he was tried for negligence during the Kildorney incident. He was acquitted of negligence, but severely reprimanded for being in error of judgment.[6]

Nicholson became commanding officer of the cruiser HMS Hyacinth in August 1905, of the cruiser HMS Hermes in December 1905 and of the battleship HMS St Vincent in 1910.[7] He went on to be commanding officer of the battleship HMS Conqueror in 1912 and Commodore of His Majesty's Yachts in 1913.[1] He served in World War I as commanding officer of HMS Agincourt in the Grand Fleet from 1914.[7] He continued his war service as Second-in-Command of the 3rd Battle Squadron from March 1917, as Second-in-Command of the 4th Battle Squadron from September 1917 and as Commander of the 3rd Battle Squadron from 1918.[8]

He became Rear-Admiral, Reserve Fleet at Portland in 1919 and Vice-Admiral commanding the Reserve Fleet in 1922 before retiring in 1926.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives
  2. ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36691). London. 14 February 1902. p. 9.
  3. ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36774). London. 22 May 1902. p. 8.
  4. ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36777). London. 26 May 1902. p. 7.
  5. ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36790). London. 10 June 1902. p. 12.
  6. ↑ "Naval & Military intelligence". The Times (36791). London. 11 June 1902. p. 13.
  7. 1 2 Captains Commanding Royal Navy Warships
  8. ↑ Senior Royal Navy Appointments
Military offices
Preceded by
Sir Richard Phillimore		 Commander-in-Chief, Reserve Fleet
1922–1923 		Succeeded by
Sir William Goodenough
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